Cheers.....Have a Coconut Cluster

Frank and I were sitting around on a gray dreary day wishing we were back in the Caribbean.  I had run errands earlier and Frank had done yard work.  We were feeling lazy and bored.  We thought about going to the show but were rather complacent about it. Frank decided to make us a Caribbean Style Martini and concocted this great Coconut Cluster.  It is truly a liquid coconut cluster...you know those delicious chewy, chocolate covered morsels that you can't stop eating...yep, just like that, only drinkable.

We took our Coconut Clusters and relaxed in the hot tub, reminiscing about our trip and planning the next one.  We thought we would share this delicious cocktail with you so that the next time you are getting the cloudy day blues you have a remedy.  You are very welcome!!

Coconut Clusters

1 jigger vanilla vodka
1 jigger chocolate liqueur
1 jigger coconut rum
Chocolate syrup

Pour all ingredients except chocolate syrup into a cocktail shaker that has been filled with ice.  Shake briskly and pour into a martini glass that has been drizzled with chocolate syrup.  Print Recipe

Caribbean Pork Stew for The Book Club Cookbook Cooking Crew

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I am stepping in for this month's BCCBCC and that I was sticking with the book chosen by the original host, Danielle of Mostly Food and Crafts.  Danielle had chosen Love in the time of Cholera and I was pretty excited since it is set in the Caribbean and I was heading out on a dive trip in the Caribbean where I hoped to spend non dive time at the pool reading.

I started it on the plane ride and after a few chapters switched to playing games on my phone.  Then I picked it up again and after a half an hour put it down and worked the crossword puzzle in the magazine provided by the airlines.  The book definitely was not sucking me in at all.  It starts out with a couple who have been married for over 50 yrs.  It is unclear whether it is a happy marriage but as he dies both the man and his wife, wonder if the other knew how much they loved them.  The next thing you know a gentleman who has been carrying a torch for the woman shows up at the funeral and declares his undying love to the wife who throws him out on his ear.

Now you go back in time to when the wife was a young girl who thought she was in love with the boy who was now the man, she tossed out of the funeral.  And the story goes on and on and on about this spoiled little brat of a girl who cares for no one and nothing but herself, her pigheaded father, the boy who loves her and will continue to do so his entire life and the man she finally marries and how that came to be.....except I don't know how it came to be because I just could not keep forcing myself to read this book that I wasn't enjoying at all when there are so many books on my list waiting to be read.

That being said, there was no shortage of food inspiration in this book.  My first dish that I made for this month was inspired by the family sharing cafe de leche and crumpets.  I decided to make coffee flavored crumpets.  I had never had crumpets.  I had never made crumpets.  I had to look up crumpets to see exactly what it was I had decided to make.  The photos looked much like English Muffins.  So, I printed out a recipe and got to work.  I felt the same way about the crumpets as I did about the book....very bland and underwhelming.  They got cast aside along with the novel.

But the challenge wasn't a complete waste because it did inspire this Caribbean Pork Stew that I am happy to say turned out exactly as I had hoped, flavorful and tender with just a bit of a bite.  I am happy to share it with you today.

I am hoping the others enjoyed the book more than I and if not I hope they were at least inspired to create some wonderful dishes that I can share for you at the end of the month when I do the roundup post.  Stay tuned.....

And now for the premier of Caribbean Pork Stew..........

Caribbean Pork Stew

1 lb pork stew meat

1/4 c. Hoisin garlic sauce

1 t. coconut oil

1 small onion, diced

1 red pepper, cored and cut into chunks

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 c. chicken broth

salt to taste

1/4 t. cumin

1/4 t. chile paste

Toss the pork in the Hoisin Garlic sauce and let marinade at room temperature for 15 minutes or so. While pork is marinating, prep your vegetables and set aside.  Melt the coconut oil in a skillet over med high heat.  Add the pork and brown on all sides.  Place pork into a crockpot along with the prepared vegetables.  Place the skillet back on the burner and add the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, stirring to release any brown bits stuck to the pan.  Season broth with salt, cumin and chile paste, pour over contents of slow cooker and cook on high heat for 4-6 hrs.  Serve over steamed rice if desired. Print Recipe

I am also linking up with Foodies Read where all the books star food.

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls for #BreadBakers

This month's Bread Bakers theme was chosen by Deepti of Baking Yummies.  Deepti began baking after being laid off in the corporate world and now give baking classes.  Her blog is filled with tons of great recipes.

Deepti couldn't have made this month's challenge any more broad....her theme is Rolls.  That's it.....just rolls...in her words

"Yeast or quick, sweet or savory, just make rolls! Bake in a loaf or a cake pan, drizzle or go plain, fill with fruits or nuts. Just make rolls"

So I did.

I made these delicious. light and fluffy dinner roll using oatmeal from Bob's Red Mill and Platinum yeast from Red Star.  Both of these ingredients were provided by the company's for past events in which I was involved and that they sponsored.  They are not sponsoring this post and I was not obligated to mention them or their products but I am choosing to share them with you because I so love them.  I have been a long time customer of Bob's Red Mill but not of their Oatmeal, having been raised with Quaker Oats, which I love and still continue to buy today.  You can use either oatmeal for this recipe or your own favorite oatmeal.  Likewise, I have been a regular consumer of Red Star Yeast but had never tried the Platinum until it was provided for our #Brunchweek event that we just finished up.  I am very impressed with it and it is going to become my new go to yeast, when  I am done using up the jar of Active dry yeast in my fridge.  No compensation for this rambling....just my honest opinion.

This great recipe was adapted from a bread recipe provided by Quaker Oats Company.  It was originally for 2 loaves of bread kneaded by hand.  I halved the recipe, used my stand mixer for the kneading and made dinner rolls that my husband went absolutely crazy for.  I hope your family enjoys them as much.

Oatmeal Dinner Rolls

adapted from Quaker Oats

3 1/2- 4 c. flour

1 1/4 c. old fashioned oats

2 T. sugar

1 (1/4 oz) package yeast

1 1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. water

3/4 c. milk

4 T. butter

In large bowl of stand mixer, fitted with dough hook, combine flour, oats, sugar, yeast and salt.  Heat water, milk and butter until butter melts.  When liquid is very warm, 120-130* add to the flour mixture and beat on low speed until moistened.  Increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low setting and add remaining flour, 1/2 c. at a time until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.  Increase speed to med low and knead for 5 minutes. Place dough ball into a greased bowl, cover with a warm, damp kitchen towel and place in a draft free area until doubled in size, about 1 hr.  Punch down dough and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  Divide dough into 15 even pieces and form into rolls, cover with the towel that has been redampened with warm water and allow to rise for 15 minutes while oven preheats.  Bake in preheated 375* oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant.  Print Recipe

I'm anxious to see what kinds of rolls the others have shared....

Won't you please join me?

• Anadama Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Bulochki (Russian Sweet Yeast Rolls) from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Cinnamon Rolls from Bakingyummies
• Crescent Rolls from Sara's Tasty Buds
• Feta Olive Knots from Food Lust People Love
• Flax Oat Wheat Dinner Rolls from Cook's Hideout
• Einkorn Parmesan and Garlic Rolls from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls from A Baker's House
• Hokkaido Milk Rolls from Baking in Pyjamas
• Kahvalti – Turkish-style Breakfast Buns from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Masala Bread Rolls from Sneha's Recipes
• Mini Cheddar Bialys from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Oatmeal Dinner Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pesto Rolls from Veg Nation
• Raspberry Sweet Rolls from Kylee Cooks
• Savory Cheddar Rolls from Magnolia Days
• Stuffed Vegatable Masala Buns from Spill the Spices
• Twisted Knotted Mint Garlic Rolls from Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Wholewheat Low Fat Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls from Sizzling Tastebuds

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

Waldorf Salad for Secret Recipe Club

This is my first post since being reassigned from Group D to Group B in SRC.  It is kind of exciting because I will get to look through a bunch of new (to me) blogs.  Some I am familiar with because they join in on the special SRC reveal days and/or other blogging groups and events of which I take part, but some will be a brand new experience and one to which I am looking forward.

So what is the deal with this whole Secret Recipe Club?? 

 In the words of our esteemed leader: "Secret Recipe Club is a way to not only find but share new blogs. Each month, one member is assigned to another member from their group secretly (hence the name). That person selects a recipe (or more) to make, photograph, and then will draft up a blog post. Everyone in the group posts on the same Monday together and gets to see who had their blog and what recipe(s) they chose. It's such a fun experience and it's a great way to get new followers, too. There are always new blogs to discover and our club has plenty to offer! If you are a food blogger and interested in joining the Secret Recipe Club, be sure to check out the Join SRC page." 

I was assigned to Linda and Christina's blog, 2 Cookin Mamas ,  Linda and Christine are a mother daughter team who love to cook fresh, healthy meals and have even written and published The Pregnancy Cookbook.  They both instruct exercize classes and their recipes reflect their healthy lifestyle without skimping on flavor and deliciousness.

When I was assigned this blog, I was preparing for my husband's birthday dinner.  We were keeping it simple, grilled burgers and chicken, baked beans, potato salad, kale slaw, etc.  I knew I wanted another salad or two to round out the meal so I went straight to the soup/salad/sandwich category of Linda and Christine's recipe page.

I found this lovely black bean and corn salad but I was already having baked beans so I thought that would be overkill.  Perhaps next party.  This pear, walnut and gorgonzola salad had my name all over it.....unfortunately this was for my husband and he is not a huge gorgonzola fan.  Then I found this healthy and fruity Waldorf salad and I knew I had hit gold.

This was the perfect addition to our bbq buffet.  Fresh and fruity with maple glaze pecans....what could be better.  Ooops, yes, I said pecans even though the ladie's recipe called for walnuts.  I had these great pecans that I had picked up while traveling through Georgia and I wanted to include them. Other than that I stuck pretty true to the recipe and I am glad because it is delicious.

Chunks of delicious Breeze apples from Sage Fruit Company, red and green grapes, slices of celery, fresh cherries and those wonderful maple glazed pecans all folded together with organic vanilla yogurt. You can, of course, use your favorite apple and fruit combination but I think you have to have the apple, celery, nut and grape in there to make it a true Waldorf Salad.  Yep, that's it....no fussy dressing to make....just that delicious and refreshing yogurt.  YUM

Waldorf Salad

slightly adapted from 2 Cookin Mamas

3 apples, cored and diced

juice from 1/4 large lemon

1 c. red and green grapes, halved

2 stalks celery, sliced

1/4 lb. cherries, pitted and halved

3/4 c. pecans, coarsely chopped

1 T. pure maple syrup

6 oz. organic, vanilla yogurt

Place pecans and syrup in a skillet and cook over med high heat, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes. Remove to parchment paper, spreading them apart and allow to cool.   

Place apples in a large bowl, add lemon juice and toss to prevent browning.  Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat.  Chill until ready to serve.   Print Recipe

Here are the other Secret Recipe Club Reveals

An InLinkz Link-up

Fried Chicken with a Kick for #SundaySupper

Sarah of The Chef Next Door is hosting Sunday Supper this week and has chosen the fun theme of:

Spice is Nice & Some Like it Hot

I am a spice lover.  I like some heat but not so much that it drowns out the flavor.  Definitely give me some jalapenos or Hungarian peppers but I will pass on the Habanero chiles.  My husband, on the other hand, is very spice sensitive.  I can add a touch of heat in his dishes but certainly nothing more than just a tickle on the back of his tongue.  If it makes his nose run....he runs in the opposite direction.  I just grab myself some more napkins LOL.

I love Spicy Southern Fried Chicken but don't normally make it, instead I just use this recipe as my go to Fried Chicken.  When Sarah suggested spicing things up I decided to add a few dashes of hot sauce and some chili paste to my buttermilk soaking liquid and some cayenne pepper to my seasoned flour.  The results were a perfectly seasoned fried chicken that satisfied my urge for spice but was still enjoyable for Frank.  Our daughter and granddaughter had joined us for dinner and they both gave it a thumbs up as well so I think this will now be my go to Fried Chicken recipe.

Fried Chicken with a Kick

1 broiler/fryer cut into 10 pieces, back reserved for another use

1 qt. buttermilk

4 shakes of hot sauce

1/4 t. chile pepper paste

1 c. flour

salt and pepper to taste

2 t. paprika

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

Cooking oil to reach 2" up the side of a large skillet (preferably cast iron)

Combine buttermilk, hot sauce and chile pepper paste.  Pour over chicken pieces, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs and up to 24 hrs.

Combine flour and seasonings in a large plastic bag that seals shut.  Remove the chicken pieces from the buttermilk and place a few pieces at a time into the plastic bag and shake, covering with flour. Fry chicken, in batches, in hot oil until crisp and golden brown.  As each batch finishes browning place onto a foil lined baking sheet.  When all the chicken is crisp and golden brown, place into a preheated 350* oven and bake for 30 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165*.  Print Recipe

Add some spice to your week with these great recipes

Aromatic Appetizers

• Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Cajun Shrimp Dip byCooking with Carlee
• Harissa Lamb Meatballs with Herbed Yogurt Dipping Sauce by The Hungry Goddess
• Jalapeno Cheddar Roasted Chickpeas by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Smoky Jalapeno Pineapple Salsa by Dash of Evans
• Spicy Apricot Chicken Meatballs by My Life Cookbook
• Spicy Jalapeno Chickpeas by Helpful Homemade
• Spicy Peach Chicken Wings by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
• Spicy Sugared Cashews by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Distinctive Drinks

• Cilantro Jalapeno Mojito by Manu's Menu
• Shoo Fly Punch with a Kick by Our Good Life

Daring Desserts

• Chipotle Peanut Butter Cookies by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Cinnamon Rolls by The Freshman Cook
• Mexican Chocolate Pudding by Pies and Plots
• Peppercorn Shortbread by The Finer Cookie
• Spicy Fudge Brownies by The Chef Next Door
• Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks

Masterful Mains

• Buffalo Chicken & Lentil Stuffed Peppers by Momma’s Meals
• Chicken Karahi (Pakistani Chicken Curry) by Curious Cuisiniere
• Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers by Feeding Big and more
• Chickpea, lentil and spinach curry by Caroline’s Cooking
• Ddukboki (Spicy Stir Fried Rice Cakes)by Kimchi Mom
• Devil’s Chicken by Monica’s Table
• East Indian Chard and Lentils by Wholistic Woman
• Fried Chicken with a Kick by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Grilled Chipotle Pork Chops by Cooking Chat
• Hella-peno Burger by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Jalapeno Popper Pizza by Hardly A Goddess
• Kung Pao Chicken by Palatable Pastime
• Lomo Saltado by Tramplingrose
• Spicy black bean burgers by Simple and Savory
• Spicy Penne all’arrabbiata by She Loves Biscotti
• Sweet & Spicy Pulled Pork Tacos by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Sweet Chili Pork by Cookin’ Mimi
• Tunisian Garlic Chickpea Soup by What Smells So Good?

Seasoned Sides

• Baked Sriracha Sweet Potato Fries by Magnolia Days
• Green Mango Sambal by Food Lust People Love
• Grilled Potato Salad with Spicy Picada Sauce by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Plus Homemade Ginger Ale and Spice is Nice Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement

 Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Weekly Menu for the Second Week of May

As I wrote that...the Second Week of May...I had to stop and pinch myself.  I cannot believe how fast time flies.  I don't know if it is just because I am older or because we are busy but the weeks seem to fly by!!

Speaking of busy....this week is a crazy one so there is not a huge menu for you but there is a menu none the less.

Today we are going to a Wedding Shower Brunch followed by Pizza and a bonfire.  Sunday we are singing at 9 am Mass and then Amy is serving Brunch at her house.  Nicole and Anthony both have to work, Pierre is out of town displaying soaps at the Tulip Festival and Chuck is in Virginia but I will have Amy, Doug, Ting and our Little Miss celebrating Mother's Day with me.

Monday I have a meeting at church.  Tuesday we are going out to dinner with friends.  Thursday is choir.

Enjoy the menu that I have planned.  If I actually follow through with it there will be photos and recipes during the week.

Saturday
Wedding Shower/Bonfire

Sunday
Brunch at Amy's

Meatless Monday
Mushroom Pasta

Tuesday
Out with Friends

Wednesday
Pizza

Thursday
Tacos

Fish Friday
Smoked Salmon Crepes

Serving Dessert for the Final Day of #Brunchweek.

This is it. The final day of Brunch Week.  Hasn't it been a blast?!  I am awestruck by all of the amazing recipes we have shared.  I hope that all of your have found items to make your Mother's Day Brunch very special.

Speaking of Awestruck.  What did you think of the wonderful prize packages our sponsors are raffling off?  What prize packages?  Where in the heck have you been?!!  Quick....go to my introduction post and enter right this minute.  Today is the last day and you DO NOT want to miss out on these great prizes.

I want to give a last thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Red Star Yeast, Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, Vidalia Onion Committee, Sage Fruits, Nielsen-Massey, KitchenIQ, and Le Creuset for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions are my own.

And I want to shout out a huge THANK YOU to our wonderful host of this event, Terri of Love and Confections. This is the 4th year that Terri has hosted this event.  It is time consuming and labor intensive and I want her to know how much we all appreciate her.  If you have been enjoying all the posts this week please stop by her blog and show her some love!!

For this final post, I decided to make a dessert, featuring products and tools recieved from Nielsen-Massey, Kitchen IQ and Vidalia Onions.  I found this wonderful recipe for Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting at The Pioneer Woman.  This recipe is not from Ree but was a guest post from Jessica. It sounded delicious and I have been wanting to try lavender in my baking.  I did adapt the recipe slightly but not too much.  

I didn't have dried culinary lavender so I used a lavender extract.  I also had some gargantuan lemons so I only used the zest of two of them and the juice from one.  The juice was slightly more that ne 1/4 c. called for in the recipe so I used less milk than in the original.

Of course, I used Dixie Crystals for my sugar products.  This is a photo of what they are giving away to one of our lucky readers.  Did you enter back at the beginning when I reminded you?  No?  Well, hurry up about it....I wish I could enter to win this great gift!!

These gorgeous cupcakes are the perfect dessert for a Springtime brunch.  I am showcasing them for Mother's Day but they would work beautifully for Easter, a Spring Tea or a Baby Shower. 

Thank you again for sharing Brunch Week with us.  Don't forget to scroll down below the recipe to take a look at the other's final Brunch Week posts.

Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting

slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

pinch of salt

zest of two large lemons

1/2 c. butter, room temperature

1 c. sugar (I used Dixie Crystals)

1 large egg + 2 large egg whites

1 t. vanilla 

1 t. lemon extract (I used Nielsen-Massey)

Juice of 1 large lemon + milk to equal 3/4 cup

Frosting:

3/4 c. butter, room temperature

3 c. Powdered sugar (I used Dixie Crystals)

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. lavender extract

1 t. half and half

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.  In the large bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and each egg white, beating well after each. Mix in the vanilla, zest and lemon extract.  Turn mixer to low speed and add half of the flour mixture until combined.  Mix in the lemon/milk mixture and the remaining flour mixture, beating until combined.

Divide batter between 12 cupcake tins with liners.  Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 16-18 minutes or until tops are set.  Let cool completely before frosting.

For Frosting:

Cream the butter in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Gradually add the powdered sugar at low speed until incorporated.  Add the cream, vanilla and lavender. Increase the speed and beat until light and fluffy adding more cream or sugar if needed for desired consistency.

Print Recipe

Here are the final offerings of the rest of the Brunch Week Bunch.

BrunchWeek Beverages:

• Iced Caramel Coffee by The Redhead Baker

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:

• Chocolate Muffins by The Texan New Yorker
• Cinnamon Apple Pancakes by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Cinnamon Roll Apple Pancakes with Cream Cheese Drizzle by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
• Cranberry Orange Muffins by Books n' Cooks
• Oatmeal Walnut Waffles with Fried Apples by Love & Confections
• Orange Sweet Rolls by Making Miracles
• Raspberry Coffee Cake by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Rosemary and Cornmeal Cake by Jane's Adventures in Dinner

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:

• Watermelon Noodle Salad by Forking Up

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:

• Baked Salmon with Citrus Yogurt Sauce by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Cheddar French Toast with Crab Hollandaise by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

BrunchWeek Desserts:

• Lemon Cupcakes with Lavender Frosting by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Salted Coffee Caramel Sauce by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp by Palatable Pastime